Our 26 Best Kebab Recipes

Honey-Thyme Chicken-and-Apricot Kebabs

To amp up simple grilled chicken kebabs, F&W's Justin Chapple adds fresh apricots to the skewers and brushes them with a sticky, fragrant honey-thyme glaze.

• Summer Grilling Guide

Chicken Thigh Kebabs with Chile-Yogurt Sauce

Simple and tasty, chef Jimmy Bannos, Jr.'s sweet-smoky chicken is a great go-to dish any night of the week.

• More Recipes for Chicken Thighs

Herb-Marinated Mixed Skewers

Chef Matteo Gambi grills these marinated pork and bacon-wrapped turkey skewers for a great charred flavor, then finishes them in the oven to keep them juicy.

• More Grilled Appetizers

Spiced Shrimp and Tomato Kebabs

This is a perfect party dish because it's so easy to assemble, and you can marinate and skewer the shrimp ahead of time.

• Summer Party Recipes

Tunisian Chicken Kebabs with Currants and Olives

Susan Feniger's sweet-and-tangy marinated chicken skewers are adapted from her book, Street Food. They are flavorful enough to eat on their own, but they're even better with the chunky currant-and-olive relish.

• Chicken Recipes

Red Curry Chicken Kebabs with Minty Yogurt Sauce

For spicy chicken kebabs as addictive as Buffalo wings, Kerry Simon creates a fantastically simple marinade using just jarred red curry paste, vegetable oil and salt.

• Appetizer Recipes

Vermicelli with Chicken Skewers and Nuoc Cham

In this version of a Vietnamese dish, individual piles of cucumber, fresh herbs, and grilled chicken are arranged on a platter of vermicelli and bean sprouts. Tangy nuoc cham sauce is poured over all. As each diner takes a portion, the components intermingle.

• Global Recipe Guide

Grilled Shrimp Satay

In Singapore, satays are usually made with chicken or lamb. But for parties, Chris Yeo likes to use shrimp because he thinks it's more festive. He marinates the shellfish in an alluring mixture of sautéed garlic, ginger and ground spices, then threads each shrimp on its own skewer and grills them until they're lightly charred.

• How to Peel Shrimp

Chicken Thigh Yakitori

These sweet, charred chicken skewers make a terrific appetizer or passed hors d'oeuvre.

• Appetizer Recipes

Spicy Lamb Shish Kebabs

Lamb marinated in yogurt and grilled along chunks of zucchini makes for an easy meal, anytime.

• Global Recipe Guide

Grilled Squash Ribbons and Prosciutto with Mint Dressing

Grilling zucchini and summer squash ribbons on skewers is terrific because the edges become wonderfully charred and crisp, while the insides stay tender and juicy.

• Summer Produce Guide

Herb-Marinated Chicken Skewers with Harissa

Andres Barrera briefly marinates chicken in herbs and cumin before skewering and grilling it; then he serves it with a cool chickpea puree and fiery harissa. His harissa is a knockout, scented with toasted and ground cumin seeds, coriander and caraway seeds, but jarred harissa also works.

• Chicken Recipes

Chile-Rubbed Swordfish Kebabs with Cucumber Salad

Swordfish is an extra-healthy choice since it's a source of omega-3 fatty acids, but the assertive spice rub here also works well on shrimp and pork tenderloin.

• Fish Recipes

Shrimp and Lemon Skewers with Feta-Dill Sauce

Squeeze the charred lemons over the shrimp before serving for a tangy, smoky hit of flavor. You may want to make extra feta sauce to have with lean lamb steaks or chicken skewers.

• Healthy Recipes

Grilled Zucchini Kebabs with Zucchini Dip

A great summer snack, vegetarian side, or way to use up an excess of zucchini, these kebabs cleverly use the vegetable as both the dip and the chip.

• Summer Grilling

Herb-and-Chile-Marinated Fish Shashlik

Russians usually make these fish kebabs with sturgeon, the firm-fleshed white fish prized for its caviar. Since most wild sturgeon is now endangered, look for sustainable farmed fish or try black cod or swordfish.

• Global Recipe Guide

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

These deliciously spiced grilled chicken skewers are perfect with a sweet-and-tangy peanut sauce.

• Grilled Chicken Recipes

Bacon-and-Romaine Skewers with Blue Cheese Dressing

Wedge salad (iceberg lettuce with blue cheese dressing and bacon) is a classic American dish. Here, James Holmes reconfigures it as a playful cocktail snack.

• All-American Recipes

Tomato-and-Cilantro-Marinated Chicken Shashlik

Grating tomatoes is a quick way to create the juicy puree that becomes a tangy base for a super-simple marinade.

• Summer Grilling Guide

Grilled Lamb and Red Onion Skewers

• Tailgating Recipes

Monkfish and Chorizo Kebabs

• Fish and Seafood Recipes

Middle Eastern Lamb Skewers

Chef Michael Solomonov adds onion juice or pureed onions to his Middle Eastern–style marinades to tenderize and caramelize the meat. The marinade is great on chicken breast as well as lamb.

• Global Recipe Guide

Turkey Kibbe Kebabs with Two Sauces

Kibbe kebabs are made from chopped meat and (very often) bulgur and formed into sausagelike shapes. Here, turkey replaces the traditional lamb.

• Affordable Recipes

Yogurt-Marinated Lamb Kebabs With Lemon Butter

Here, lamb is marinated in yogurt to make it exceptionally tender, then given an extra burst of tangy flavor with a basting of lemon butter just before serving.

• Grilled Lamb Recipes

Chicken Meatball and Shishito Yakitori

These juicy Japanese meatballs, known as tsukune, are grilled on skewers with the finger-size green peppers called shishitos. Most shishitos are mild, but about 10 percent are quite spicy, so be warned: There's no way to tell which kind you've got before you bite.

• Japanese Cooking: Pantry Essentials

Shawarma-Style Chicken and Mushroom Kebabs

These juicy kebabs mimic the flavor of shawarma by starting over high heat and finishing over low heat, ensuring a crisp exterior and a flavorful interior.